Red Fort blast: Pulwama link emerges as police trace Hyundai i20 owner; one detained in Gurugram
Investigators probing the Red Fort car explosion, which killed 13 people and injured at least 20 others on Monday evening, have traced one of the registered owners of the Hyundai i20 involved in the blast to Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir, sources told NDTV.
Police sources told NDTV that the vehicle, bearing registration number HR26 CE 7674, was originally registered in the name of Mohd Salman, a resident of Gurugram, Haryana.
Salman has been detained by the Haryana Police for questioning.
A car explosion occurred in a parked car near Delhi's Red Fort. Photo: Screen-grab from X
According to officials, Salman told investigators he had sold the car to a man identified as Tariq, who hails from Pulwama.
It remains unclear whether Tariq subsequently resold the vehicle to another buyer or if it directly came into the possession of those involved in Monday’s explosion.
The revelation of a Pulwama link has given the case a new dimension, with central agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) now examining whether the blast could be connected to a larger terror network operating across northern India.
The i20 car exploded near Gate No. 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station around 6:52 pm, triggering a massive fire that engulfed several vehicles.
The blast site, located in one of the busiest areas of Old Delhi, has been sealed off for forensic analysis.
NDTV, quoting sources, said forensic teams are analysing fragments of the car’s chassis and registration plates to confirm ownership and trace the chain of custody through RTO records and sale documents.
The explosion came just a day after authorities in Faridabad, about 50 kilometres from Delhi, recovered over 2,900 kilograms of explosive material from a rented house allegedly linked to Dr. Mujammil Shakeel, a Pulwama-based doctor accused of being part of a “white-collar” extremist network.
Investigators are now probing whether the Red Fort blast and the Faridabad seizure are interconnected or part of a coordinated attempt to move explosive materials into the capital.
In the wake of the blast, Delhi and neighbouring states, including Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, have been placed on high alert.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has reviewed the situation with Home Minister Amit Shah, who has directed agencies to “leave no angle unexplored.”
As the investigation intensifies, teams from the NIA, NSG, and Delhi Police Crime Branch continue to work through the night to trace the last known movements of the vehicle and its occupants.
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